Madden NFL 2005

The game that changed the series for the better.

To up the ante of the draft even more, the players you pick actually affect the morale of the players already on your team. Playing as the Ravens, I selected a quarterback with my first pick to see what would happen and Kyle Boller's morale rating didn't take a dive, obviously confident in his status as starter. But when I simulated a season with the Lions and did the same, Joey Harrington's morale did take a hit as he was feeling the pressure of another losing season and the strong young arm waiting in the wings.

From there, it's on to signing free agents, and once again, everything from your fans to the overall team talent come into play. There's a meter at the top showcasing the particular player's interest in signing with your team, what the best offer he's received has been, how many current offers he has, and the top three teams in contention for his services.

Once the season is ready to get underway again, you can select opponents to face in the preseason, players to run through mini camps, then it's on to your next season of championship dreams and to see whether or not the moves you made in the offseason will help you advance to the Super Bowl. This year, you'll be happy to know that there is an actual Super Bowl celebration after the game, complete with the Gatorade splash on the head coach.

Playing through franchise, you'll also notice how different each team plays and how they really each do play to their own personality. Playing against the Chiefs and playing against the Cowboys are two entirely different experiences and you actually have to prepare for them differently if you hope to win, especially on All-Madden, which may just be one of the toughest CPU modes football gamers have come across to date.

You also really notice the difference in players based on their ratings. Trying to throw on Champ Bailey is completely different than throwing on Mike Rumph, and it should be. Bailey is a shutdown corner, can handle anyone and everyone from Moss to T.O., while Rumph will have a hard time against Steve Smith, and probably give up a big play to the biggest playmakers. Adding to the excitement, there is also more defensive pressure on quarterbacks this year. Rivalry games up the intensity of play, defensive backs don't let you throw deep (especially into double coverage), and if you try to run the same play over and over again, they'll make you pay. In one game, I could hit Muhsin Muhammad all day with the curl. Anytime I needed 5-8 yards, it was the curl. But with the game on the line, second and goal from the four, I tried to go back to it and the ball was picked by the corner in the endzone and returned all the way back, more than 100-yards for the score and my crushing defeat.

Create-A-Fan The game maintains features from last year like the ability to create teams, players, and playbooks, while at the same time adding in a new mode entitled Create-A-Fan. This mode enables you to dress fans up in your own Raider Nation-esque gear, paint their faces and body, give them foam fingers, then watch as they show up in cutscenes root-root-rooting for the home team or booing your last interception. A cool novelty to have as an extra and nothing too spectacular, but it sure beats getting a call from Steve-O in your crib.